Even though The Pita Pit opened last Friday on Welch Avenue, local business owners of similar restaurants, including the “Gyroman,” are not discouraged by the newest franchise restaurant coming to Ames.

The Pita Pit, 114 Welch Ave., is the city’s fourth pita and gyro retailer. The other pita and gyro retailers in Ames include Pita Pita, 2508 Lincoln Way, Pammel Grocery, Pammel Court, and Smiles & Gyros, the gyro stand on Welch Avenue.

Patrick O’Malley, manager of The Pita Pit, said the first Pita Pit in Iowa City opened last March and the restaurant has done well there.

Because of the restaurant’s success, O’Malley said the owner, Matt Yates, wanted to open restaurants in Ames and other college towns where there are similar markets the franchise can benefit from.

“[People] are amazed at what we do with a pita,” he said.

O’Malley said the restaurant is different from other pita and gyro retailers because customers can build pitas the way they want them and can choose from a wider variety of toppings for each pita.

O’Malley said he sees places like Jimmy John’s and Subway as more of a competitor than the other pita and gyro retailers in Ames.

“Competition is good for everybody,” he said.

The Pita Pit does not plan to do anything special to attract customers, O’Malley said.

Matthew Goodman, owner of Smiles & Gyros, said he cannot guess how the new restaurant will affect his business, but he thinks having more restaurants in a town could be better for everyone.

Goodman, also known as the “Gyroman,” said having businesses competing against one another is just part of having a capitalist society.

He said he thinks his business is unique because he and his employees make the cucumber sauce and hummus from scratch and purchase the chicken for their chicken gyros locally in Nevada.

Goodman said he plans to keep doing the best he can to keep customers coming to his gyro stand.

The owners of Pammel Grocery and Pita Pita also do not think the new restaurant will have a negative effect on their businesses.

“People come [to Pammel Grocery] because they say we have the best gyros in town,” said Karen Grib, owner of Pammel Grocery.

Pammel Grocery sells both the ingredients to make gyros as well as freshly made gyros.

Grib said most of her customers are people who use pita bread as a staple in their everyday diets. She said she does not think those people will start buying pita sandwiches from other pita retailers.

Rina Slutzki, owner of Pita Pita, said she thinks having another pita restaurant in Ames could actually bring more customers to her restaurant.

“It’s strange to say, but people like to try similar places,” Slutzki said.

She said she thinks some people may try the food at The Pita Pit and then come to her restaurant to see what it has to offer.

Slutzki said Pita Pita and The Pita Pit are two completely different businesses. She said her business sells more Mediterranean food and has more sitting room. The Pita Pit is more commercial, has more delivery and is open later.

Slutzki does not plan on changing anything in her restaurant to compete with The Pita Pit.

“If the food is fresh and good, I don’t see any reason why anyone would stop coming to my restaurant,” Slutzki said.

When Slutzki opened Pita Pita nearly seven years ago, there were no other restaurants similar to it in Ames, she said.

Even with more competition in town, Slutzki remains optimistic.

“I wish good luck to The Pita Pit,” Slutzki said. “I think we are going to help each other.”